Sanders has struggled to make inroads with black voters, an area where Clinton is exceptionally strong and dominated in Mississippi.

Trying to make a stand in Michigan, Sanders accused Clinton of being disingenuous when she asserted that he opposed the auto bailout that rescued carmakers General Motors and Chrysler during the Great Recession. The bailout of the U.S. auto industry by presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama remains popular in Michigan, the home of the U.S. auto industry, and has been credited with preserving the Midwest’s manufacturing base.

“There was one vote in the United States Senate on whether or not to support the auto bailout and protect jobs in Michigan and around this country,” Sanders said during a rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan. “I voted for the auto bailout.”

Sanders and Clinton both voted in favor of a bailout bill in 2008, but it failed to clear the Senate, prompting Bush to announce about a week later that the federal government would step in with $17.4 billion in federal aid to help the carmakers survive and restructure. The last $4 billion was contingent on the release of the second installment of the Wall Street bailout funds.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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